Vendor show to help raise funds for family

Wednesday

Dec 5, 2012 at 9:30 AM

By Andy Barrand

andy.barrand@hillsdale.netHILLSDALE — Over the past year Keith and Brandi Wireman and their two children Jon and Portia have had their lives turned upside down.It was the morning of Dec. 9, 2011 when Jon and Portia were on their way to school. On that snowy, icy morning Jon lost control of the truck he was driving between Litchfield and Homer on M-99. After overcorrecting to avoid hitting an oncoming semi, the truck rolled as it went off the road, severely injuring both children. Since that wreck the Wireman family has accrued medical bills they have been struggling to pay. Hillsdale residents Megan VonDeylen and Heather Maxson are doing their part to help the family with the organizing of a vendor show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the McCall Center. “My kids rodeo with (Brandi's) kids, they will always put everything aside to help other kids,” VonDeylen said. “That’s the way they are. They are good kids and I hate to see them struggle.” VonDeylen’s children and the Wiseman children are in the same 4-H group and take part in 4-H rodeo events. Wiseman said the support is very humbling. “I am very grateful, it is amazing,” Wiseman said. The vendor show will feature a wide variety of items. VonDeylen said half of the spots are filled, and she is hoping to have all of the spaces filled by Sunday. Spots are $25 a table. “We are hoping for a last minute push,” she said. “I would love to pack the place.” The show will also feature a silent auction with items donated from area businesses, and a small concession stand. All proceeds from the event will help to pay medical bills for the family. Vendors keep all of their profits from the event.“We are hoping to make enough to pay for a month or two of their bills during the holiday season,” VonDeylen said. Wiseman said the family's medical bills were sold to an outside company and they have had trouble keeping up with them. “We try to get by as much as we can without the extra things,” Wiseman said. Despite the severity of the accident, Wiseman said both children are doing well. Portia continues to go to physical therapy three days a week and currently has fluid on her spinal cord. Both children also received head trauma in the wreck, causing them to lose portions of their memories. Portia is a seventh-grader at Homer Middle School and Jon graduated high school last spring after finishing up taking online classes. “We are grateful that their problems aren’t worse,” Wiseman said. During the wreck Wiseman believes that Jon saved the life of his sister when he hit the gas after the truck rolled, pulling the truck from the roll. The majority of the impact on the truck was on the passenger side. “I don’t think that she could have taken another roll,” Wiseman said. “They know how blessed they are to be here.” Vendors looking for booth space for the event can contact VonDeylen at megan.vondeylen@gmail.com.